Business
New IRS Direct File program now available in California
If you’re a California resident and haven’t done your federal tax return for 2023, you now have another, more user-friendly option online: the free Direct File service from the IRS.
It’s not for everyone, however. Instead, it’s aimed mainly at people with very simple annual tax returns, which the Treasury Department said amounts to about 1 of every 3 taxpayers.
The tax agency launched the Direct File service in January on an extremely limited basis to make sure its online systems were up to the task. That changed Monday, when the IRS announced that Direct File was available to all taxpayers in California, Arizona, Nevada and nine other states.
Think of Direct File as the IRS’ alternative to the free online tax-filing programs from TurboTax and H&R Block. It provides step-by-step guidance for filling out your tax forms, filing them and either paying any amount you might owe or collecting your refund.
The program’s question-and-answer approach means you won’t have to know which forms to fill out or where on the forms to enter your information. Instead, the program will handle those details for you.
The IRS already works with several tax-prep companies to offer lower-income taxpayers a free online tax return service called Free File. What makes Direct File different is that there’s no middleman and no income limit for participants — anyone can use it, provided that their tax returns use only the most basic forms.
Specifically, the program will work only for taxpayers whose income is limited to wages reported on a W-2, retirement benefits from Social Security or the Railroad Retirement Board, unemployment benefits or interest income of $1,500 or less. That means if you’re a self-employed person, a business owner, a contractor or a gig worker, or if you have income from a partnership or trust, Direct File isn’t for you.
The Treasury Department estimates that 19 million people in the 12 participating states are eligible to use Direct File this year and that several hundred thousand people will do so.
Direct File also allows you to claim only a truncated list of credits and deductions: the Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income workers, the credits for children and other dependents, the standard deduction and deductions for student loan interest payments and educators’ classroom and professional development expenses. If you’re able to claim other credits and deductions, such as those for foreign taxes paid, child care or retirement savings, or if you cut your tax bill by itemizing deductions (for example, if you have sizable medical expenses), Direct File would not be a good choice for you.
One other caution: The IRS says Direct File will be available only until April 15, when most Californians’ 2023 returns are due. The agency pushed the deadline for taxpayers in San Diego County back to June 17 in response to the federal disaster declaration in that county.
Direct File runs online only; you’ll need a smartphone, tablet or computer to access it. And to get started, you’ll need to prove to the IRS that you are who you say you are.
The only way to do that this year will be to use the identity verification service ID.me, which takes a scan of your government-issued picture ID, such as your driver’s license or passport, then uses facial-recognition software to match your image from a live chat session or a new selfie against the stored photo. ID.me has raised concerns among some critics, who say it poses too great a threat to privacy and security.
Once you’ve established your identity, the program will check your eligibility, then guide you as you enter information about your income, credits and deductions. You don’t need to download any software, the IRS said; instead, your entries will be saved online, and you’ll be able to pause and resume later without having to start over.
Direct File has a live chat feature to help taxpayers with questions, but it’s not a source of free tax advice.
“IRS customer service representatives can provide technical support and provide basic clarification of tax law related to the tax scope of Direct File,” the agency said in a release. “Questions related to issues other than Direct File will be routed to other IRS customer support, as appropriate.”
The Direct File service hasn’t been integrated into California’s tax filing system yet, so you won’t be able to transfer your federal information seamlessly to your state return. The state Franchise Tax Board offers a free online return filing system called CalFile whose restrictions are similar to those in Direct File, so if you’re eligible for the latter, you’re probably able to use the former.
If you’re entitled to a refund, tax experts say, you should file your return as soon as possible. Otherwise, you’re just making an interest-free loan to the federal government.
The massive ships that glide through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are facing extreme fuel costs as oil prices rise, often paying millions of dollars more to top off their titanic tanks.
The cost of filling up with shipping fuel in L.A. County is close to 20% higher than at other major ports in the U.S. and worldwide. The rates at the ports in Los Angeles and Long Beach also have risen by more than at other ports since the war in Iran began.
With some ships requiring the equivalent of millions of gallons of fuel after they drop off and pick up cargo, the extra costs add up. Shipping companies are taking steps to reduce fuel consumption and avoid expensive routes, but much of that extra cost eventually will show up in the prices of the many products transported in the hundreds of thousands of containers that pass through the ports every month.
“If someone asks you to ship something, you’re still going to do it, you’re just going to quote them a higher price,” said Mike Jacob, president of the Pacific Merchant Shipping Assn. “Higher supply chain costs ultimately have to be paid by somebody.”
The price of gas for automobiles has jumped more than 50%, making everyone’s commute more costly. Truckers are struggling with sky-high diesel prices and higher aviation fuel prices have lifted airfares and even led to the closure of Spirit Airlines.
Higher shipping fuel costs also are expected to continue contributing to inflation, even if there were an immediate resolution to the conflict with Iran.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz since late February has blocked a large portion of the global oil supply from flowing freely, and uncertainty surrounding the conflict has kept oil prices volatile. A fragile ceasefire continues despite violence in the Strait in recent days.
Even if there were an immediate end to the Iran war, higher shipping fuel costs are expected to continue contributing to inflation. Above, an oil pumpjack in Santa Fe Springs on May 4, 2026.
(Kyle Grillot / Bloomberg )
As with other types of fuel in the state, taxes, fees and environmental restrictions can add to the cost of fuel for ships. California also gets squeezed more than other states by supply disruptions because it relies on oil delivered from other states and countries.
Less than a week ago, the last oil tanker to pass through the Strait of Hormuz before war broke out arrived at the Port of Long Beach and delivered 2 million barrels of crude oil to the Marathon Petroleum terminal. With no more ships arriving from the Persian Gulf, California will miss out on an average of 200,000 barrels of oil per day from that area.
California relies on the Middle East for 30% of its crude oil, said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka, including oil that passes through the Strait of Hormuz.
“They’re evaluating all possibilities, including trying to be more fuel efficient and raising prices,” he said of major shippers,” Seroka said. “They may pass the costs to the American importer and exporter and ultimately to their customers, whether it be American consumers, factories or others who buy and sell these products.”
For container ships, fuel now costs about 25% of the total price of a voyage from Asia to Los Angeles, Seroka said.
Data show that fuel used by ships is more expensive in California, as is gasoline and jet fuel. The average price of very low-sulfur fuel oil has risen 70% to $925 per metric ton at the world’s top ports since the war started. The price at the Long Beach and Los Angeles ports has jumped almost 88% to $1,080.
“Fuel is our No. 1 expense for operating a ship,” Jacob said. “There are some things we can do to mitigate it, but those fuel prices end up being reflected in the rates.”
When fuel is expensive, cargo ships often run slower to burn it more efficiently, he said. And major shipping companies already have implemented fuel surcharges to cover higher costs.
For container ships, fuel now costs about 25% of the total price of a voyage from Asia to Los Angeles, Port of L.A. Executive Director Gene Seroka said. Above, a portion of the port May 5, 2026.
(William Liang / For The Times)
Amazon announced a 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge last month and the U.S. Postal Service is charging an 8% fee on certain packages, its first fuel surcharge ever. Hapag-Lloyd, a German marine shipping company, reported that its fuel costs have gone up by $50 million a week.
Maersk, a shipping company based in Denmark, implemented an emergency bunker surcharge in late March, citing a challenging fuel market.
“We have undertaken significant redistribution of fuels to offset shortages in the Middle East, and are securing alternative sources from different locations and suppliers,” the company said.
The extra charges won’t cover the sustained higher costs immediately, so shipping companies say their profits will be hit. Matson, a shipping company with offices in Concord, Calif., addressed the spike in fuel prices in its investor call earlier this week. The company specializes in shipping to Hawaii and is a member of the Pacific Merchant Shipping Assn.
“We expect fuel price volatility to impact our near-term earnings due to a timing lag between when we incur fuel costs and when we can fully recover these costs through our fuel surcharge,” Matson Chief Executive Matt Cox said on Monday’s call.
Despite the increased costs, activity has not drastically slowed at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which together handle more than $600 billion in cargo per year. The Port of Long Beach handled 774,935 containers in March, up more than 6,000 from February. Activity at the Port of Los Angeles was down 3% year over year in March.
A driver checks out his cargo container at the Port of Los Angeles in Wilmington on March 4, 2026.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Operations at the Port of Long Beach aren’t totally spared from the impacts of the global oil shortage, however, Chief Executive Noel Hacegaba said.
“Fuel supplies are tightening and congestion is up at fueling hubs,” Hacegaba said. “Shippers are adjusting how they move cargo to manage costs and avoid congestion.”
Across Europe, the lesson from an old proverb just might be taking hold: Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.
For the second time in under five years, Europe is contending with an energy crisis set off by a war. Europeans have responded to the price shock by rushing to line up heat pumps, solar panels and electric vehicles. They are hoping to lower their bills and reduce their reliance on imported fossil fuels.
In March, the first month of the war in the Middle East, more than 344,000 electric vehicles were registered across Europe, over 40 percent more than a year earlier, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association. Solar panel sales for Britain’s biggest power company, Octopus Energy, jumped 50 percent. And in Germany, inquiries about residential solar systems doubled compared with recent months, according to E.ON, an energy company.
Over the first three months of the year, about 575,000 heat pumps were sold in 11 large European countries, up 17 percent from a year earlier, the European Heat Pump Association said. The increases were particularly large in France, Germany and Poland.
For Heizma, an Austrian company that installs heat pumps, solar panels and other residential electrification services, sales in March and April broke records.
Since the war stopped a vast majority of fuel shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, the price of European natural gas, which is relied on to heat homes and power factories, has risen about 40 percent.
As prices spiked, interest in alternative energy supplies kept rising. Michael Kowatschew, a founder of Heizma, said customer inquiries were up 20 percent. Many of them invoked the importance of “resilience” and “European sovereignty.”
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was a jolt for Europe, which had been dependent on Russia for critical supplies of energy. European governments turned to other gas and oil exporters, including the United States.
Europeans are noticing “more and more how dependent we are not only on fossil fuels but, through fossil fuels, on other countries and other regions,” Mr. Kowatschew said.
The European Union has spent an additional 24 billion euros on energy imports in under two months, said Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission.
“Households are now seeing that they are only one Trump-ignited war away from very expensive tank refueling or heating bills,” said Elisabetta Cornago, an energy and climate policy expert at the Center for European Reform.
This “shock-awareness factor” means that demand for electric vehicles, heat pumps and solar panels is likely to keep rising, she said.
Demand has increased even as European governments have started to cut taxes on energy bills and diesel and gasoline at the pump to shield households. The costs of solar panels and electric vehicles, still out of reach for some households, are becoming more affordable. Last week, Volkswagen, Europe’s largest automaker, revealed a new electric vehicle model with a starting price under €25,000 (about $29,000), more than 25 percent below a comparable VW popular model.
In Britain, the government said it would allow the sale of plug-in solar panels within the next few months. These devices, which can be attached to a balcony, can help curb energy bills and don’t require the more expensive installation of rooftop panels. They will be widely available in supermarkets and online.
In the meantime, rooftop solar has become more popular. Danny Hirst, the managing director at the Green Way Solar, which installs solar panels in England, has noticed a sharp increase in interest. Last fall, his company was receiving about 10 inquiries a week. Now, it sometimes gets 20 in a single day, he said.
“The general feeling that we’re hearing from clients now is that they’re just getting fed up with the uncertainty of energy prices,” Mr. Hirst said.
But will the interest be sustained? Companies and business groups said it was too soon to know.
For customers, there’s red tape. It can take weeks or months, partly because of regulatory approvals, for a customer to go from deciding to buy a heat pump or solar panels to installing them.
Then there is the push-pull issue of government policies over financial incentives or subsidies, which can drive consumer demand but cause it to taper if they are not designed properly.
Since the war started, countries across Europe have already put in place short-term measures to lower energy costs — more than €10 billion worth, according to an estimate by Bruegel, a think tank in Brussels.
The measures, such as tax cuts on gas at the pump and electricity bills, are predominately aimed at large parts of the population. Experts said governments should target their assistance to the most vulnerable households, while spending more to subsidize low-carbon energy.
This has echoes of the crisis from 2022. At the time, Europe had suddenly shifted away from Russian gas imported via pipelines, a prominent source of fuel. Energy prices rose sharply. Demand for electric vehicles, solar panels and heat pumps jumped.
But when Europe found other sources of natural gas and prices dropped from their peak, interest in renewable technologies waned. Meanwhile, governments had spent hundreds of billions of dollars to shield households and businesses from high energy costs, further reducing the urgency for households to switch to renewables, some analysts said.
Simone Tagliapietra, an energy and climate policy expert at Bruegel, said the lesson for policymakers from 2022 was that they should increase their support for low-carbon technologies, not broad based-measures that cheapen energy from oil and gas. The moment, he said, presents an opportunity for governments.
“We are facing a full-fledged oil and gas crisis,” Mr. Tagliapietra said.
At the same time, history shows that financial incentives needed to sustain consumer interest in technologies like solar panels must be consistent.
Mr. Hirst of the Green Way Solar has been in the solar industry for nearly a dozen years and has experienced the market’s ups and downs. There was a boom right after the 2022 crisis, he said, but then sales dropped. The promise of subsidies drove up interest in renewable technologies, but consumers then waited to make sure they received a subsidy before deciding to install solar panels or heat pumps.
There is a risk that this could happen again.
In Austria, demand for heat pumps dropped in the first three months of this year when some government funds for subsidies ran out.
Mr. Kowatschew at Heizma, the Austrian installation firm, said he was cautious about expanding too quickly. The company was established only two years ago. Its focus is on finding ways to make the installation process faster and more efficient so that workers can outfit two heat pumps a week instead of one, he said.
Still, business is good. Heizma made about €2 million in revenue in April, he said.
“Everyone now knows electrification makes sense,” he said. “It makes a lot of sense to switch to heat pumps, to solar and green electricity.”
Cloudflare is laying off 20% of its staff, the latest technology company to announce big cuts as it uses more artificial intelligence-powered tools.
The San Francisco web performance and cybersecurity company said it was getting rid of 1,100 people.
“The way we work at Cloudflare has fundamentally changed,” Chief Executive Matthew Prince and Chief Operating Officer Michelle Zatlyn told employees in an e-mail. “We don’t just build and sell AI tools and platforms. We are our own most demanding customer.”
It is the latest tech company this week to announce massive layoffs as tech workers embrace the use of AI agents to perform tasks such as generating code more quickly. Coinbase said Tuesday that it would cut 14% of its workforce, or roughly 700 workers. PayPal is reportedly planning to slash 20% of its staff.
Other companies such as Meta, Block and Oracle have announced layoffs this year. From January to April, U.S. tech employers announced 85,411 job cuts, up 33% from the same period last year, outplacement and executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas said Thursday.
Cloudflare’s email, which was published on its blog, said that in the last three months, its use of AI has jumped more than 600%. Employees in various roles in engineering, HR, finance and marketing are running “thousands of AI agent sessions each day to get their work done,” and the company has to be “intentional” as it prepares for the “agentic AI era,” the email said.
Cloudflare executives added that the company is hoping to avoid further major layoffs.
“We are making these changes now because making smaller, repeated cuts or dragging a reorganization out over multiple quarters creates prolonged emotional uncertainty for employees and stalls our ability to build,” the email said.
The company estimates that severance and other restructuring will cost between $140 million and $150 million for 2026.
Cloudflare didn’t say how many of those cuts will be in its San Francisco office. The company has offices in other parts of the world, including Asia, Europe and the Middle East, according to its website.
As of December, Cloudflare had 5,156 employees.
Cloudflare announced job cuts the same day it reported its first-quarter earnings. The company’s revenue jumped 34% year-over-year to $639.8 million in the first quarter. It posted a net loss of $22.9 million.
But the company’s forecast for the second quarter fell short of Wall Street’s expectations. Cloudflare projected revenue of $664 million to $665 million for the second quarter, which was lower than the $666 million Wall Street anticipated.
Cloudflare’s stock dropped roughly 18% to $209 per share in after-hours trading.
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